Tales of a Child Eternal [NSFW]

[Tethras Clan]

"So? Tanny was a was Tenny's ally. That's close enough for an emotion as primal and chaotic as fear to work with."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene swallows hard, averting their eyes from him as he speaks. "...this one supposes," they mumble. "But Mia is clan. This one should make an effort to.. to..."

[Tethras Clan]

"Hey, hey, hey... Mia is Clan, yes. So are you. Doesn't mean you have to do anything but not attack her really. If you're not ready to interact with Mia, that's fine. It really is."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene is quiet for a long while. Finally, they ask, "Are you?"

[Tethras Clan]

"Mostly," Varic replies honestly. "The logic, the reason of it is sound. Even elegant in a way. Reincarnation, miracle, vouched for by the gods and so forth. Still... when I see my daughters flinch, see the shadows in their eyes. When Zevran reaches over in mid-conversation with someone else to touch Hawke's arm, just to reassure himself she's still there. Or when Aveline makes a point of checking in on every Clan member in Nyra, just to make sure we're all safe.... When you rub your finger... Yeah, my hand itches bad."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene takes a deep breath, then lifts their head again. "This one lamented, before, that this one was not brave. And... and with Hero zi'Hawke and Beinn Varric both, this one would be perfectly safe. So this one will... this one will eat with Mia. This one will be a little bit braver than this one was before."

[Tethras Clan]

"...spotted Silence with them as well. So that's three people keeping you safe." He frowns a little. "Come to think of it, Silence doesn't like her much either..."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene nods. "Mabari are powerful, but this one would rather have Beinn Varric if it came to it."

[Tethras Clan]

Varric chuckles, eyes warm. "Same to you," he replies with a smile. Standing up, he offers his hand. "Ready? Or should I go explain first, so they don't push?"

[Helene Dakesh]

"This one is ready."  

[Marian Hawke]

When they come back into the kitchen, Hawke has ushered Mia to a chair, and is regaling her with stories of times Silence found unusual things and brought them home. "Then there was the neighbor's fairy dragon, of course. They've got some kind of war I don't understand going on. Hey Papa, Helene, everything okay?" she asks without changing her tone one whit.

[Tethras Clan]

Before either can say a word, Mia slips out of the chair to her knees. She crosses her hands in front of her torso and bows deeply, baring the back of her neck to Helene and Varric. 

"...I'll let Helene explain," Varric says slowly.

[Helene Dakesh]

"Th-this one was st-startled by, th-this one did not expect guests," they say quietly. "This one gets.... This one behaves erratically when startled. This one is... is that one alright?" They change the subject as they fail to keep ignoring Mia's bizzarre behavior. 

[Marian Hawke]

Hawke frowns, still at the stove, unsure if she should go to Mia or not. "Probably?" she hazards. "I suspect she feels guilty for... startling you."

[Tethras Clan]

"I feel guilt for much," Mia says softly. "That is among them."